16 U.S. Code § 2106a - Emergency reforestation assistance

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to provide assistance under this section to eligible landowners who suffer destruction of 35 percent or more of a commercial tree stand due to damaging weather, related condition, or wildfire.

(b) Form of assistance

The assistance, if any, provided by the Secretary under this section shall consist of either—

(1)reimbursement of up to 65 percent of the cost of reestablishing such tree stand damaged by the damaging weather, related condition, or wildfire in excess of 35 percent mortality; or

(2)at the discretion of the Secretary, provision of sufficient tree seedlings to reestablish such tree stand.

(c) Conditions

(1) Limitation on assistance

No person may receive an amount in excess of $25,000 in any fiscal year, or an equivalent value in tree seedlings, under this section.

(2) Ineligibility

A person who has qualifying gross revenues in excess of $2,000,000 annually, as determined by the Secretary, shall not be eligible to receive any disaster payment or other benefits under this section.

(3) Implementation

In implementing this section, the Secretary shall issue regulations—

(A)defining the term “person” for the purposes of this section that shall conform, to the extent practicable, to the regulations defining the term “person” issued under section
1308 of title
7 (before the amendment made by section 1603(a) [1] of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008);

(B)prescribing such rules as the Secretary determines necessary to ensure a fair and reasonable application of the limitations established under this subsection; and

(C)ensuring that no person receives duplicative payments or assistance under this section, the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.), and the environmental quality incentives program established under chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 [16 U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.], or other Federal program.

(A)produces annual crops from trees for commercial purposes and owns 500 acres or less of such trees;

(B)owns 1,000 acres or less of private forest land; or

(C)owns more than 1,000 acres but less than 5,000 acres of private forest land if the Secretary, in the Secretary’s discretion, determines the person eligible;

(3)the term “qualifying gross revenues” means—

(A)if a majority of the person’s annual income is received from farming, ranching, and forestry operations, the gross revenue from the person’s farming, ranching, and forestry operations; and

(B)if less than a majority of the person’s annual income is received from farming, ranching, and forestry operations, the person’s gross revenue from all sources;

(4)the term “related condition” includes insect infestations, disease, or other deterioration of a tree stand that is accelerated or exacerbated by damaging weather;

(5)the term “reestablish” includes site preparation, reforestation of a damaged stand, and timber stand improvement practices, including thinning, prescribed burning, and other practices approved by the Secretary for reforestation;

(6)the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture; and

(7)the term “wildfire” means any forest or range fire.

(e) Retroactive assistance

The Secretary shall use funds provided under this section to reimburse landowners for approved reforestation practices that were implemented before November 28, 1990. The Secretary shall not make reimbursements for reforestation practices that were implemented prior to September 1, 1989.

Section
1308 of title
7 (before the amendment made by section 1603(a) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008), referred to in subsec. (c)(3)(A), probably means section
1308 of Title
7, Agriculture, before the amendment made by section 1603(b)(3)(A) of that Act, Pub. L. 110–246, which struck out provisions in section
1308 of Title
7 relating to issuance of regulations defining the term “person”.

The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978, referred to in subsec. (c)(3)(C), is Pub. L. 95–313, July 1, 1978, 92 Stat. 365, as amended, which is classified principally to this chapter (§ 2101 et seq.). For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section
2101 of this title and Tables.

The Food Security Act of 1985, referred to in subsec. (c)(3)(C), is Pub. L. 99–198, Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1354, as amended. Chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Act is classified generally to part IV (§ 3839aa et seq.) of subchapter
IV of chapter
58 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1985 Amendment note set out under section
1281 of Title
7, Agriculture, and Tables.

Section was enacted as part of the Federal Stewardship Act of 1990 and also as part of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, and not as part of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 which comprises this chapter.

2008—Subsec. (c)(3)(A). Pub. L. 110–246, § 1603(g)(5), as amended by Pub. L. 113–79, § 1609(b)(1), inserted “(before the amendment made by section 1603(a) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008)” after “section
1308 of title
7”.

1996—Subsec. (c)(3)(C). Pub. L. 104–127substituted “environmental quality incentives program established under chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985” for “Agricultural Conservation Program established under section
590p(b) of this title”.

1991—Subsec. (c)(3)(C). Pub. L. 102–237inserted “(16 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.)” after “1978” and made technical amendment to reference to section
590p(b) of this title to correct corresponding provision of original Act.